Reasons Why You Should Recycle

Recycling is an important process that we should all be involved with for a whole variety of reasons. This article looks at the reasons why we should recycle and how this process can help to better the environment around us and the air we breathe.

Why We Should Recycle

There are numerous reasons why we should recycle, many of which fall under the categories of raw material conservation, energy conservation, pollution reduction and landfill reduction. Each of these aspects are described in further detail below.

Raw Material Conservation

Most man-made products incorporate different materials in order to create the finished product. This involves harvesting raw materials such as trees, rocks and oil so that they can be processed into a useable material by manufacturers. As a result of this and to meet growing demand, reserves of these raw materials are depleting and mining operations have a significant impact on vast areas of many different countries.

Deforestation is a prime example of how harvesting natural resources is harming the environment and this is a key reason why we should recycle. This impact can be reduced if we recycle increasing quantities of used products such as paper and furniture.

Energy Conservation

Recycling reduces the amount of energy required to create new products. If we didn’t recycle paper, large areas of forest would have to be chopped down to meet global paper demands. The trees from these forests would then have to be transported before been manufactured into the finished product. The same process applies for a wide range of products such as plastics and metals, only they require different raw materials to be harvested.

By recycling, we are cutting out the energy requirements for the mining of new raw materials. This is a very important reason why recycling is important, as energy conservation is one of the key ingredients for the fight against climate change.

Pollution Reduction

Tied in with the energy saving concept is a reduction in pollution levels. This can come as a result of manufacturing processes becoming more efficient and requiring less energy to manufacture a product. Although clean energy technologies exist, most products manufactured across the globe make use of energy that has been produced by the burning of fossil fuels.

Any reduction in CO2 or other harmful gases is not only a key ingredient for the fight against climate change, but a key ingredient for cleaning the air we breathe. If pollution levels can be cut by a significant level, this can have a positive impact on the health of a countries population.

Landfill Reduction

The more we recycle, the more we can help to reduce the burden on local and national landfill sites. As population levels increase, we will need to find additional landfill sites, which will harm the surrounding environment and wildlife.